Textile web dyeing process



Patented Aug. 16, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN G. SENIOR, OFSANFORD, MAINE, ASSICi-NOIR. '1O SANFORD MILLS, OF SANFORD,

MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE TEXTILE WEB DYEING rmcnss No Drawing.

partin a variegated design to a web of tex- I tile fa ric in a mannersomewhat analogous to that of marbling wherein a mutable deli, sign ofcolor is floated on the surface of a water carrier and is taken off thesurface by the web.

It is the object of the present invention to render this type of processap licable to the use of water soluble dye stu s such as are requiredfor coloring or dyeing textiles.

It is the further object of the invention to render this type of processcapable of using water soluble dye stuffs which will thorough- 1yimpregnate or d e the textile web of any degree of thickness romordinary plain goods to high pile plush or pile goods.

The object of the invention is further to provide color materials foruse in this type of process comprising water soluble dye stuffs whichwill float upon and not be absorbed by the water carrier.

The object of the invention is further to provide in this type ofprocess for the control of the thickness of the color film and thedispersion of the various colors going to make up the film by varyingthe proportion of the ingredients combined with the water soluble dyestuffs.

The general type of process to which this invention relates and ofapparatus for carr ing out such a process is already known in t e priorart. An apparatus suitable for carrying out the process of the presentinvention for the coloring or dyeing of textile webs is disclosed in thepatent to Frank W. Clark, No. 1,846,845, granted February 23, 1932, andbased upon an application filed concurrently herewith.

In such a process a carrier body of water is usually'employed in theform of a gravity flowing stream in a trough and in which the streammoves slowly enough tomaintain its upper surface perfectly smooth andunrippled. The color fluids of desired hues are prepared and gently laidon the surface of the water so that they floatthereon and are dispersedthereon in the required design. After the color design is formedfloating on the surface of the water, it is carried by the Applicationfiled April 11,

This invention relates to a process for im- I 1930. Serial No. 443,622.-

water to a position where the web of material is brought barely intotouching contact with the carrier surface while moving in the samedirection so that the Web laps off from the surface of the water thecolor film. In the case of paper and other dense materials, the colorfilm forms a coating on the surface and the colors employed are notsoluble in the water so that they float readily thereon and are notabsorbed by or disperse in the water.

In the case of a textile web, it is necessary, however, that the colorsshall penetrate and thoroughly dye the web even when the web is thic asin the case of a high pile plush and, furthermore, the dye stuffsrequired for successful and thorough dyeing of textile materials aresoluble in water and therefore will not float on a water carrier.

This invention provides color materials comprising the usual watersoluble dye stufl's which will float on a water carrier, form a filmthereon, and disperse in the required design and becapable of beinglapped ofi by v the textile web in the carrying out of the process. Thisinvention also provides for the control of the thickness of the filmformed by each color and the rate of its dispersion over the surface ofthe water.

In the carrying out of the process, the color compositions of thevarious hues required are fed onto the surface of the water carrier inany suitable manner, as usual, from suitably mounted receptacles fixedor movable, or in any of the other various ways now known in the art.The Various colors thus fed onto the surface of the water carrier mergebefore or after, or both before and after, they reach the surface of thewater carrier into the required desi n, all in the usual or any suitablemanner. ny suitable form of apparatus may be employed. The web oftextile material is 'guided into lapping contact With the color filmtravelling at approximately the speed of the water carrier and laps upthe color film from off the surface of the water carrier.

The color compositions or materials in ac cordance with the principle ofthis invention comprise essentially two things;

First-A suitable textile dye stuff of the.

required hue. For this purpose any of the dye stuffs commonly employedin the dyeing of textiles, either (1) a coal tar dye, (2) a natural dyeor (3) a synthetic dye. Such dye stuffs as are soluble in water, exceptfor this invention, would not be available for this process because theywould be absorbed by or dispersed in the water of the water carrier.

Second-An oil. Almost any vegetable, animal, mineral, or synthetic oilmay be employed. Such oils are well known and familiar to those skilledin the art and the selection thereof is readily made as required for thepurpose. The purpose of the oil ingredient is to render the mixturewater repellent and thus to cause the mixture to float and benon-miscible with water and this is the essential feature of theprocess. The kind and amount of the oil mixed with the dye stuifs willdepend upon the prevailing temperature and the consistency of themixture desired. Olive oil, kerosene, neatsfoot oil and sperm oil havebeen found particularly suitable. The consistency of the mixture in turnwill determine the thickness of the film formed on the surface of thewater carrier as the mixture is fed thereonto and also the rapidity withwhich this film will disperse over the surface of the water carrier or,in other words, the rate of dispersion.

In addition to the foregoing two essential elements, it is usuallydesirable to include in the color composition or material one or more orall of the following things:

Third.-A starch or gum, either or both. The starches particularlysuitable for this purpose are corn, wheat and potato, although othersuitable starches may be used. The gums particularl suitable for thispurpose are tragacanth, arinol, or British gum, although other suitablegums of similar type may be employed. These things givebody to the colorcomposition and prevent the oil from separating out from the mixture andalso assist in controlling the thickness of the film and its rate ofdispersion.

Fourth.Waxes. A small amount of a 'suitable wax is frequently desirable.Beeswax and parafiin are preferable. The purpose of the wax in themixture is to thicken the r'fuxture and therefore further to con- 7 trolthe thickness of the film and the rate of dispersion. I

Fifth.-An alcohol. A suitable alcohol further assists in controlling thethickness of film and the rate of its dispersion and by adding therequired amount to a color mixture already formed of the otheringredients, the film is thinned down and caused to disperse withgreater rapidity. Fusel oil has been found desirable for this purpose.

After the colors of the various hues have been mixed in accordance withthe foregoing procedure, they are then fed separately in the requiredamounts to the surface of the water carrier and the rate of flow, thethickness of the film produced by each, and the rate of the dispersionof each over the surface of the water is readily controlled by varyingthe pro ortions of the mixture in the manner set orth.

The invention therefore presents color compositions of the required hueswhich float u on the surface of the water without being a sorbed ordispersed therein and which are of a character when lapped up by thetextile web thoroughly to impregnate and dye the same. The inventionalso enables the mutable design of the color film floating on the watercarrier readily to be controlled by varying the proportions of theingredients of the color compositions and thus varying the thickness ofthe film and the rate of its dispersion in the case of each color.

Since the invention makes usevof the d e stuffs heretoforecommonlyemployed in t e dyeing of textiles, no material change is necessary inthe usual recesses employed for the treatment and ishing of the textiles,after the dyeing process is completed;

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. The process of pro essively dyeing a textile web with a mutabledesign of color which consists in mixing a water-soluble dye stuff withan oil to render it non-miscible with water, feeding the mixture ontothe surface of a travelling bod of water, controlling the dispersionandthickness of the film of mixture on the surface of the water by theproportion and kind of oil in the mixture and progressively bringing thetextile web into lapping contact with the film. v

2. The process of progressively dyeing a textile web with a mutabledesign of color which consists in mixing a water-soluble dye stuff withmaterial to produce a liquid mixture non-miscible with water and of lessspecific gravity than water, feeding the mixture onto the surface ofthetravelling body of water, controlling the dispersion and thickness ofthe film of mixture on the surface of the water by the proportion andkind of the said. material in the mixture and progressively bringing thetextile web into lapping contact with the film.

3. The process of progressively dyeing a textile web with a mutabledesign of color which consists in mixing a water-soluble dye stufi withan oil to render it non-miscible with water and with material to givebody to the mixture andprevent the separation of the oil and dye stuffand with an alcohol, feeding the mixture on to the surface of atraveling body of water, controlling the dispersion and thickness of thefilm of mix ture on the surface of the water by the proportion and kindof the aforesaid in edients of the mixture and progressively ringing thetextile web into lapping contact with the film.

- In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN c. sEmoR.

